


Adobo

by allislaughter



Series: Fluffy February 2021 [5]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Cooking, Filipino Character, Fluff, Fluffy February 2021, Gen, POV Third Person, Present Tense, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:53:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29221995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allislaughter/pseuds/allislaughter
Summary: It's been years since Rig's had adobo and so he enlists Nick's help in recreating one of his favorite meals.
Relationships: Nick Valentine & Original Male Character(s)
Series: Fluffy February 2021 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138028
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	Adobo

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt fill for day 5 of [Fluffy February](https://fluffyfebruary.tumblr.com/): Cooking Together

Rig reaches over and pats Nick’s arm. “Nick, Nick, Nick.”

Nick shakes his head and then smiles at Rig. “What has you so excited?”

“I want to cook something.”

“...I don’t eat. You should ask Deacon or Echo if you want help.”

“No, no,” Rig says. “Has to be you.”

“Mm-hmm?” Nick asks. “Why?”

“Because,” Rig says. He pauses a moment to think over his words. “Filipino food.”

“...Ah.”

“I don’t know who else might...” He waves his hand. “Know. What I need. I want adobo.”

“Right,” Nick says. “What was in that again...?”

“Vinegar... Salt, pepper....”

“Soy sauce. Garlic, onions...”

“Meat. Mom put potatoes in hers. And rice— have to eat it with rice.”

Nick hums. “Well, we could use chicken. There’s radchickens. And I know where we can get potatoes.”

“Ooh, good, good.” Rig claps his hands. “What about the garlic and onions?”

“There’s some similar vegetables we could use, yes. Plenty of salt and pepper.”

“Rice?”

“Hmmm...”

“It  _ has _ to be rice. Can’t  _ not _ be rice.”

“We’d be paying a premium, but... I know a guy...”

Rig gets up and walks to a shelf and pulls down a box and fishes a key from his pocket. He pulls out a satchel, locks the box again, and then walks back over to drop the satchel on Nick’s desk. “Is that enough?”

Nick does a quick count. “That’s plenty. We even have enough that we might be able to buy some vinegar and soy sauce straight from Takahashi.”

“Who? Oh, the— noodles—” Rig squints. “He uses vinegar and soy sauce in the noodles?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nick says. “Let’s go get everything, alright? I might not be able to eat adobo, but I know what you’re feeling about missing it.”

Rig smiles and giggles. “Yeah...” He follows Nick out the door. “I feel like we’re forgetting something, though...”

One shopping trip later, Nick’s waiting in Echo’s kitchen with the freshly bought ingredients. At the knock on the door, he lets in Rig who carries in a rice cooker.

“Where’d you get that?” Nick asks. “Does it still work?”

“Tested it already,” Rig grins. “Found it with Deacon the other day— Is why I wanted ‘dobo.”

“You know how to do it right?”

“Mm-hmm.” Rig sets the cooker down on the counter and then washes his hands in the sink. He scoops out rice into the cooker bowl, rinses the rice with water, and then adds more water, checking until the water level reaches from the top of the rice to top of the first section of his middle finger.

“Good job,” Nick laughs. “That’s the right way.”

“There’s another way?” Rig asks. With the rice cooking, he moves on to the onions and garlic, or whatever Nick said they are. “Oh, you cut these already?”

“No tear ducts,” Nick says. “Figured I’d get that started for you.”

“Thanks.” Rig heats oil in a pan that Nick seems to have already set out as well, and he sautés the onion and garlic. “So— Potato.”

“Cut that for you too,” Nick says. “Fried it while you were out.”

“Nice, nice.” Rig grins. “Oh, this is good— This is really good and nice.”

“Been awhile since I helped make  _ this _ kind of food,” Nick agrees. “Or, not even  _ me _ but the old Nick...”

“You too, though, right?”

“Right.”

“Me too,” Rig says. “Old Rig was  _ American.” _

Nick laughs. “That would do it.”

Once the vegetables are done, Rig adds them to a pot with the chicken and pours in the soy sauce and vinegar. “Um.... is that enough?”

“...I don’t know.”

“Oookay.” Rig looks at the ingredients and pours in a little more of each liquid. “Either will be too salty or too sour, but, um... Echo and Deacon don’t need to know it’s not supposed to taste like that.”

Nick flashes an OK. “Got it.”

The two of them sit and chat while the food cooks, with Rig occasionally getting up to check on it. It’s done before Echo and Deacon are due to arrive, and Rig gets himself a small sample of the meal.

“The moment of truth,” Nick says. “How much like your mother’s is it?”

Rig takes a bite. After a bit of careful chewing, he sets down the plate and buries his face in his hands.

Nick jumps in alarm. “Rig? Is it—” He sees Rig’s shoulders shaking as if he’s crying. “Was it  _ that _ bad?”

Rig lowers his hands, smiling and laughing. “We— We forgot the  _ bay leaf.” _

Nick stares and then starts laughing as well. “The  _ bay leaf!” _

“The bay leaf!” Rig leans on the counter for support.

The two of them laugh for a few minutes more, before Nick calms down enough to ask “but does it taste okay without it?”

“I put too much vinegar.”

“Oh. Damn.”

“It’s good though.” Rig picks up his plate again to finish eating. “I can eat this.” He giggles again. “Can’t believe we forgot the  _ bay leaf.” _

“We’ll get it right next time,” Nick promises. “You did good, kid.”

“You too,” Rig beams. “Thank you so much.”

“Anytime.”


End file.
